الهند: حظر الرسائل النصية عقب الحكم في قضية مسجد بابري

حظرت وزارة الاتصالات الهندية تبادل الرسائل النصية لمدة 72 ساعة قبيل نطق المحكمة العليا بحكمها في قضية "مسجد بابري" للحيلولة دون القيام بأعمال عنف منظم.

وقد تعرض "مسجد بابري" عام 1992 للهدم على أيدي الهندوس؛ بزعم تأسيسه على أنقاض معبد هندوسي، وهو ما أدى لاندلاع أعمال عنف أدت لوفاة قرابة 2000 شخص على مستوى البلاد، وقام المسلمون عقبها بمطالبة السلطات بأرض المسجد وإعادة بنائه.

الخبر من مصدره الأصلي:

India bans mass text messages before verdict

India has banned mass text messages for 72 hours, as the country braces for a court verdict that could trigger religious violence.

A decision is expected from the high court of Allahabad late Friday afternoon on a holy site disputed by Hindus and Muslims.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on Wednesday banned mass text messages in an apparent bid to prevent organized violence.

Hindu groups have pushed to build a temple in the ancient town of Ayodhya, to replace a Muslim mosque torn down by a mob in 1992. The destruction of the mosque sparked religious riots in which more than 2,000 people died nationwide.

The northern Indian town has been a religious flash point for more than 400 years. Hindus believe that Lord Rama, one of their most revered deities, was born there.

In 1859, British colonial administrators annexed the site because of growing religious disputes. They created separate Muslim and Hindu places of worship there. In 1949, the gates were locked after Muslims claimed Hindus had placed deities of Lord Rama in their area. A court battle over the site has dragged on for years, and a special bench of the Allahabad court is expected to rule Friday.

Concerned about possible violence, authorities have stepped up security in Ayodhya. Meanwhile, Hindus and Muslims have been urged to pray for peace, and some Ayodhya residents have fled to avoid any bloodshed.

On Wednesday India's Home Minister P. Chidambaram appealed for calm, no matter the verdict.

"It would be inappropriate to reach any hasty conclusion that one side has 'won' or that the other side has 'lost,' " he said. "Besides, it would be reasonable to assume that one or both sides would immediately apply to the special bench of the high court for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court on the issues that either side may think have been decided against it".